Wishes
by Carter Ellis
Summary: Pitch and his nightmares return to battle the Guardians once again but now he has a fiery friend. To join the Guardians against this new foe, the Man in the Moon calls upon two unlikely friends. Can the two girls find their centres before the children stop believing in the Guardians forever? Rated for some violence.
1. Chapter 1 - Pyrophobia

_Ellis: Hey everyone, so we've moved things around a bit. _

_Carter: The prologue is now a flashback hidden somewhere in a future chapter. We thought you'd like some Jack right at the beginning =P_

_Ellis: Enjoy!_

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**Chapter One - Pyrophobia**

William Blaze slipped down from the rafters, smirking to himself. The old wood of the barn would catch fast and light up the night sky. Gazing at the makeshift pyre with pride, he tapped his dark wood staff on the ground. From the tip webbed a series of bright red lines across the floor, catching the hay and sparking to life. His eyes reflected the fire that leapt to the rafters, casting jumping shadows on his otherwise impassive face.

"You're worse than your brother," a voice echoed from the hayloft. Will jumped, watching the shadows carefully, gripping his staff like a weapon.

A man coalesced out of the shadows above him, leaning forward as if ready to fall.

"Oh, it's just you, Pitch," Will muttered, lowering his staff. He leaned on it, smirking up at Pitch, the fire shining in his eyes.

Pitch rolled his eyes. "Don't act so excited, William," he said, dropping through the loft and appearing in front of Will. "Put these flames out," he said, waving a hand. "I need your help."

"My help?" Will repeated, raising an eyebrow. He flicked the top of his staff and the flames snuffed out around them. "And why, pray tell, should I help you? Didn't the Guardians kick you into oblivion last time? No one believes in the Bogeyman anymore." He smirked, pushing his black hair out of his eyes.

"Don't flatter yourself, Blaze," Pitch said. "You're not all that important to me. I'm just going to let you have a little fun."

"And how do I benefit from this?"

"Well, your brother is a Guardian now. Haven't you always wanted to one-up him?" Pitch flitted into the shadows, throwing his image on the walls around Will. "This is your chance. You can show him who is more powerful; who is more important."

Will, who had started to get angry, looked up sharply as Pitch reappeared before him. "I am," he snapped. A flame sparked from his fingertips, flickering erratically out of anger.

Pitch grinned. "I know you are. Isn't it time you showed him that, instead of constantly living in the shadows?" He faded away again, his voice echoing around the room and around the boy who stood there rooted to the spot, gritting his teeth and contemplating his choices.

"How do we do that?" he asked finally.

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"William, you're on," Pitch said, floating over to him on a black stallion of shadows. The boy stood on the roof of a church, watching as the tendrils of golden sand slowly turned black over the city. He nodded and vaulted across the lane, landing precariously on the windowsill of an unremarkable townhome in a row of similar-looking houses on the street. Peering through the frosted glass, he saw a young boy tossing around in his bed. The black sand jumped around his head in the form of flames. He smirked, propped the window open and pointing his staff towards a corner of the room.

A fire sparked up in the corner, growing brighter and hotter. Will blew into the room, fanning it higher.

He waited for a minute until the boy's eyes snapped open and he sat up with a gasp. He saw the flames leaping at his wall, and let out a scream. A moment later, footsteps pounded in the hall. Will snuffed the flames with a snap of his fingers, crouching back against the windowsill.

The boy's mother burst into the room, looking at him wildly. He was frantically pointing at the wall. "Mama, there-there was fire!" he cried.

"Shh, shh," she whispered, pulling him close. "It was just a bad dream."

Satisfied, Will leapt lightly onto the ground and strolled towards the church, twirling his staff. Pitch appeared in front of him out of the shadows of the church doors. "Perfect," he said. He looked up at the sky. The black sand was swirling in the chilly night air. "He'll be here shortly. Make like the shadows, Will," he added before slipping back into the darkness.

"Ha, ha," Will muttered, slamming his staff into a crack on the ground. He melted into the shadows under the church's steeple, watching the sky.

Sandman came on a golden cloud, his eyes wide as he watched the black tendrils snake through the houses in the town. He watched in horror as red-eyed black horses on fire galloped through the night. He reached out to touch one, only to pull away as it snapped at his fingers. He drifted over to one of the houses across from the church and watched through the window as the black flames danced around the child's head.

Sandy looked around for the cause of the nightmares, angry that someone would dare to toy with the innocent dreams of children. But why couldn't he change the nightmares back? He whizzed away in a fury.

Pitch slinked out of the church in front of Will, causing the boy to jump. "I'm going to burn you one of these days if you keep that up," Will grumbled. "Where's he gone off to?"

Pitch lazily shrugged one shoulder. "Gone off to tell the others, I suppose," he drawled.

"Tell? That thing doesn't talk," Will sneered. "He's a squat little man who gestures and talks with pictures hanging over his head."

"So then what are you worrying about, William?" Pitch asked, slithering back into his realm of darkness. Will tapped his staff on the door of the church, an irritated gesture he was prone to do, and frowned. He turned around, following a snaking tongue of black sand towards the next house, repeating his performance. The girl's screams carried him to the next three houses.

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"Oh, right on time, Sandy," Jack Frost said, sitting on a telephone wire as Sandman appeared overhead in a fury of golden sand. Night had fallen moments ago and the children had been tucked into beds - with much complaining because it had just started snowing.

Sandy shook his head frantically, face set in a definite pout.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked, getting to his feet, balancing with the crook in his hand. "Slow down, Sandy," he added as the pictures above Sandman's head changed at dizzying speeds.

Sandy's shoulders slumped, and the pictures stopped. Then, he gestured, mimicking his dream tendrils lancing through the night, followed by a picture of a flame above his head.

"The kids are dreaming about fire?" Jack asked uncertainly. Sandy nodded, an exclamation point bouncing up and down above him.

"Why?"

Sandy puffed, pointing at the image of fire again. It turned into a question mark and Sandy shrugged.

"Oh, you don't know," Jack guessed. "Well," he pushed himself off of the wire and into the night air. "I suppose I have nothing to do. Show me what's wrong."

Sandy nodded curtly and flew off in the direction he came from, followed closely by Jack. They stopped at the first house at which Sandy had noticed the nightmares and Sandy pointed through the window. The black flames were still swirling around the child's head.

"Didn't you try to change them?" Jack asked, nervously watching the flames. Fire made him uncomfortable.

Sandy put his hands on his hips and nodded. He pointed at the black sand, then snapped his teeth.

"It tried to bite you?" After being with the Guardians for nearly a year, Jack was finally starting to understand the Sandman as quickly as the others - when the images weren't swirling like a tornado above his head.

Sandy nodded again, looking sadly at the child tossing in his bed.

Jack glanced up at the black sand twisting through the night sky, obscuring the stars in patches. He followed one tendril to another house and frowned. It squeezed through the windows and leapt around the room like a bonfire. Jack pushed the window open and blew a gust of frigid air and snowflakes into the room. He gasped as the fire roared up and leapt higher. He shut the window with a snap and turned back to Sandy.

"We should tell the others."

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_Ellis: Wow, you wrote most of that chapter..._

_Carter: I promise, I'm not the only one writing this story!_

_Ellis: Oh look, I wrote most of the next chapter! And it's a lot longer too!_

_Carter: Also, Sandy's a cutie._


	2. Chapter 2 - Rain and Flowers

**Chapter Two - Rain and Flowers**

"Do you think it's Pitch again?" Tooth asked nervously. The Guardians stood in North's workshop, peering up at the large globe. "I thought we took care of him. No one has heard from him in months."

"If it is Pitch, he's changed his tune," Bunnymund said, looking away from the flickering lights as another one blinked out.

Sandman nodded, the image of a flame appearing above his head.

"Don't you think it's strange Sandy could do nothing to change those nightmares?" Jack wondered out loud. He leaned lazily against the desk, tapping his staff on the ground in annoyance. "I mean, what was that about? How come every child had a nightmare about fire? Is that normal?"

Sandman shook his head.

"I didn't think so."

"Ah," North exclaimed. "Right on time!" He pointed up. All eyes turned to the circular skylight in the ceiling as a blue beam of light shone into the room.

Tooth flew forward eagerly, gazing up in wonder at the moon. "I wonder who he'll choose this time!"

Jack took a few steps forward as the beam of light stopped at a tile on the ground. Moments later, a large pillar rose up a few feet from beneath the floor.

"Is this how the Moon chose me?" he asked, staring intently at the pillar. He reached forward to touch it but his hand felt nothing.

"Aye," North patted his back. "Let us see who he has chosen this time around."

"You know this is the Moon's way of saying we're not good enough, right?" Jack said.

Tooth frowned. "Hush! You know we need all the help we can get."

"I'm just saying."

A figure slowly became clear in the pale blue light - a slight girl wearing a raincoat and rain boots.

Jack peered at the figure's face. "Is that really who I think it is?"

"April Showers!" North laughed, a deep throaty sound. Bunny groaned as another figure began to form out of the moonbeam.

"And Mae Flowers?" North paused. "This is very interesting."

Jack watched the image of a smiling girl with bright curly hair fade and disappear. "Well that's just great! Miss Gloomy and Miss Spacey, here to save the day!"

"I like Mae!" Tooth smiled; her fairies nodded. "She's always so happy!"

"It's bloody annoying! " Bunny said. "And April too! If it isn't snowing on Easter-" he turned to glare at Jack Frost who merely shrugged, "-it's raining because of that girl."

"I wouldn't call April gloomy to her face." North advised. "She can be quite...volatile."

Tooth nodded knowingly. "Remember what happened fifty years ago?"

"You mean when she rained on the Santa Claus Parade?" North muttered angrily. "Yes, she rained on my parade."

"I think the Moon is getting old," Jack laughed. "Those girls are a joke. How can they possibly help us against Pitch?"

Sandman jumped up and down. Above his head, golden raindrops fell onto a sputtering fire.

North clapped his hands together. "That's it, of course. April is meant to fight the fire."

"But that doesn't make sense. How can real water fight fake flames?" Jack pointed out. "And even if April could help, what on earth is Mae going to do? Throw flower petals?" Bunny snorted.

"Jack," Tooth said softly. "The Moon knows what he's doing."

"Yeah mate, and we said the exact same thing when he chose you!" Bunny grinned.

"Hey!"

"And look how well everything turned out." Tooth said quickly. Sandy nodded, smiling. "This will work out too, you'll see."

"Alright then, let us call them here." North rubbed his hands together.

"Hawaii?" Bunny thumped his foot, opening up a hole in the ground.

"It's February so you should find them there."

"I can send a fairy to fetch them," Tooth said.

Bunny closed the tunnel. "Fine."

"Wait," Jack said, stepping forward. "Why don't we ambush them, stuff them in a sack, and throw them through a magic portal?"

"No, too rough." Tooth whispered a message to one of her fairies and it shot out of the room.

"What?" Jack twirled his staff, annoyed. "How come they get a messenger but I got attacked?"

North shrugged. "We did not know if you would come. April and Mae will be here, have no doubt about that. And they will be here very soon."

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Jack broke the silence. "Not that I'm bored or anything but can we talk about those nightmares while we wait?"

North looked up from his sculpting."Good idea, Jack! Sandy, any thoughts?"

Sandy shook his head.

"Why was Sandy unable to do anything?"

Tooth shuddered. "I think it's strange that every child we came across dreamt of fire. Why fire?"

North nodded grimly. "It seems a strange thing, I agree."

"Well, darkness didn't exactly work out for him last time." Jack said. He inspected North's ice sculpture. "This is really something."

"Why thank you, Jack." North took the little airplane from Jack's hands and continued his work. Jack walked over to the globe and watched two more lights flicker out.

"As I was saying, maybe Pitch just wants to switch things up a bit. I mean, he's still using nightmares. Same gun, just different ammo."

"I still don't like it, " Bunny grumbled. "Especially with two new callings. Something strange is going on."

Sandman nodded, wringing his hands. Jack looked at him sympathetically. Pitch seemed to enjoy attacking children's dreams most and it hit Sandy hard.

At that moment, a flower appeared on the floor, pushing up through the cracks. Jack poked it with his staff, watching it wither as many more popped up around the room, covering all surfaces with bright colour. Bunny sneezed.

Jack groaned. "Guess who's here."

The sound of giggling came from the door and a small girl in green skipped into the room, brushing her golden curls out of her face, spongy grass springing up where her feet touched the ground.

"Santa!" she squealed. She rushed forward to hug the large man. "How was Christmas this year?" Before he could say anything, she embraced Sandman.

"You are as cute as baby's breath!" She said sweetly. Sandy looked confused. The image of a baby appeared above his head. Mae giggled at him, as Tooth came forward to hug the girl.

"Oh Mae! Your hair looks beautiful!" Mae touched her golden locks, blossoms hidden within the curls.

"Thanks, Tooth! You are so sweet! You look amazing too!"

Jack rolled his eyes. The girl was full of flowery compliments.

"Bunny! Looking as fluffy as usual!" Mae hugged him tightly. Jack snickered behind his hand, even as Bunny shot him a glare over Mae's tiny head.

"Hi Jack." Mae turned to him, furrowing her brow at the boy. She would never forgive him for killing flowers with his frost every year.

"What, no hug for me?" Jack asked sarcastically, a hurt look on his face.

"Only because I don't want you to be left out," Mae said grudgingly. She gave him a quick hug and the flowers in her hair wilted.

Mae pulled away sharply, hands on her hair. "Jack! You killed my flowers!" She picked a dead orchid from her hair. She tried to revive it but it simply shriveled further. She let it fall to the floor.

"Oops," he said, shrugging apologetically. Mae pouted at him as it began to rain, big drops splattering on the ground.

"Jack! Stop!" Tooth cried. She tried to shield her head with her hands. Her fairies flew around her frantically, trying to dodge the fat raindrops.

"It's not me." Jack snapped his fingers and the rain became soft snow.

"You'd better watch out, Jack. You've killed Mae's flowers. She won't rest until she gets her revenge." The voice was sarcastic, preceding another girl as she entered the room, twirling a grey and blue umbrella. Mae nodded, picking at the wilted lei around her neck forlornly.

"April Showers! This is good! You're here," North rumbled. Sandy waved.

"No need to state the obvious, Nick," April said, leaning against the closest wall and closing her umbrella. She puffed as a snowflake landed on her nose.

North ignored her comment. "Now we can get down to business."

"Why are we here, anyways? Problem with the elves?" April asked, nudging one of the little creatures with her foot. It fell over, the bell on its hat jingling.

Mae scurried over to place it on its feet, then skipped over to the nearest yeti and placed a flower necklace around its neck.

"I fear it is much worse than that, child."

The snow falling around them thickened into a mushy, wet drizzle. "I am not a child," April warned.

Mae giggled. "We're actually quite old." She tried to put a flower necklace around Bunny's head but he disappeared down a tunnel, only to reappear on the other side of the room. Unruffled, Mae put the necklace around Tooth's neck. The fairy smiled at the girl.

April sighed. "Mae, can you pay attention please?"

"I am!" She produced a third flower necklace and placed it around Jack's neck. He grimaced, touching the blossoms gingerly and trying not to freeze them. Frost coated the edge of the petals, but he kept the necklace on.

Mae smiled triumphantly and turned to North. "Why _did _you call us here?"

Bunny hopped forward before North could speak, shaking snowflakes from his fur. "Can you turn off this infernal snowstorm?" He looked down at the floor, which was covered in an inch of the slushy wet stuff.

"Yes please, April, it's kind of cold in here." Mae hugged herself; she was still wearing her light summer clothes. "I miss Hawaii."

April looked bored. "Fine." She waved her umbrella in a lazy circle and the snow stopped. "Though my rain was warmer than _his _snow," she added, looking at Jack pointedly before turning to North. "You were going to answer our question."

"We believe Pitch has returned once more."

The flowers in Mae's hand withered. "Oh _no_." She looked around at the Guardians' grim faces. "But...how are we supposed to help you with that? Didn't you defeat him once? Why can't you do the same thing again?"

April stepped forward. "Mae's right. Why do you need _us_?"

"I was just asking the same thing," Jack muttered.

Tooth frowned at him. "The Moon called you!" She said, flying forward to take April and Mae's hand.

Mae gasped and even April seemed surprised. "Really?"

"Wait." April pulled her hand out of Tooth's grasp. "What exactly does that mean?"

"Do we get to be Guardians?" Mae shivered with excitement, bouncing on her toes.

North nodded, reaching for his book. "Yes. You will aid us in this fight."

Mae's smile disappeared. "Oh... a fight." She wrung her hands together and looked at April with wide eyes. A silent exchange took place between the girls and April nodded slightly.

"Mae is more of a pacifist," she explained.

"You've got to be kidding me," Jack grumbled.

Mae looked around at the Guardians. "Maybe I can do something else? I can be a messenger! I'm very fast!" To prove her point, she ran out of the room, a blur of green and gold.

"Um..." Jack looked at April. "Where'd she go?"

April rolled her eyes. "How am I supposed to know?" A gray cloud formed over her head and Jack took a few steps back. He looked around at the others and discreetly removed the flower necklace from around his neck.

Five minutes later, Mae came streaking into the room and skidded to halt in front of Jack.

"Make a wish!" she giggled, handing him a white dandelion. "Oh, I found a tooth." She dropped it into the Tooth Fairy's hand.

"That was random," Jack said, staring at his dandelion.

"If you're not going to make a wish, I'll give that dandelion to someone who will," Mae said, moving to take the flower.

"No," Jack said stubbornly, flying backwards out of the girl's reach. He paused, looking around North's workshop, and then blew on the little white ball. The little seeds flew out across the room, almost looking like snowflakes. Mae's smile was radiant and Jack could not help but smile back.

"This is a bear tooth," the Tooth Fairy said, still inspecting the incisor in her hand.

"I thought it seemed large," Mae said thoughtfully. "You mean you don't collect animal teeth? That's sad."

"North, can we please get to business?" Bunny asked, exasperated. "We've wasted enough time already."

"Bunnymund is right," North boomed. "April Showers and Mae Flowers, come with me. I will show you what has happened."

"Everybody loves the sleigh," Bunny muttered.

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_Ellis: Mae is a sweetie._

_Carter: And April's grumpy. That's really all you need to know about their dispositions._


	3. Chapter 3 - Crow Valley

**Chapter Three - Crow Valley**

Mae sidled up beside Jack on the wooden seat. "So what did you wish for?"

"What?" he asked. Her bright green eyes were slightly unnerving and he couldn't help but notice that she smelled like a million flowers together with new grass and fresh, clean air. Like spring, he thought..

"Your dandelion! What did you wish for?" Why was she so eager to hear his answer?

"Isn't that against the rules or something? I'm not allowed to tell anyone my wish or else it won't come true."

Mae giggled into her hands. "That's just a superstition, silly. Anyways, my dandelion wishes always come true."

Jack gaped at her. "Are you serious?"

She nodded excitedly. "Every time."

"I should have wished for something more important then." He thought for a moment. "Can I have another wish?"

Mae shook her head. "Not so soon after the last one, I can't. The magic doesn't work that way. I'm not a genie." She crossed her arms.

"That's a stupid rule."

"You're stupid!" she muttered.

"He's stupid, you're stupid. Everyone is stupid," April said from the back of the sleigh. She opened her umbrella and closed it again.

Jack sighed; the two girls were polar opposites. "Thank you, Miss Gloomy, for your happy thoughts."

North looked back at Jack sharply. "What did I say earlier-?"

April frowned at Jack, eyes darkening. "Did you just call me Miss Gloomy?" A thundercloud suddenly engulfed the sleigh.

"Uh oh," Mae said in a small voice.

"This is stupid," April said angrily. "I'm out." With that, she jumped out of the sleigh. Her open umbrella caught the wind and whisked her away.

North exploded. "Jack Frost! I told you never to call her gloomy! Why do you never listen to me?"

"I'll bring her back!" Mae stood up and looked over the edge. They were several hundred feet in the air. Jack twirled his staff expertly, lifting himself over the edge of the sleigh. He rose beside Mae. "I'll apologize to her. You stay here."

"But you don't know what to say!" Mae shouted into the wind, but Jack was already gone.

Jack Frost searched the sky for April but she was nowhere in sight. The whipping winds and dark clouds definitely did not help. Where had she gone?

"Great," he muttered, turned back to look at the receding sleigh.

"You know, it would be easier if I came with you." Mae appeared beside him.

Jack jumped backwards. Where had she come from? And how? He turned to look at her and almost laughed.

The girl held an enormous dandelion seed in one hand, just as April had used her umbrella to stay aloft. A sudden gust of wind hit them and Mae spun away with a shriek.

Jack flew after her and steadied the massive dandelion fluff. "Hold my hand," he said.

Mae screwed her eyes shut and shook her head. "I don't want to let go!" Her tiny hands were white where they held tightly onto the stem. Jack reached forward and pried one hand away. Her hand was so warm, even though it was cold and wet around them.

"Mae," he said cautiously. "Let go of the dandelion. Don't worry, I've got you."

"No..."

Another gust of wind jerked them around.

"Let go now!"

Mae bit her lip and let go. Jack held her close and shot down towards land and safety. Gosh, her body was so warm. Jack hadn't felt warmth like this in years.

As soon as they landed, Mae sat down. Soft green grass and a multitude of flowers sprouted around her. Jack sat down in front of her. The poor girl was shaking.

"Why did you jump out of the sleigh if you're so scared of flying?" Jack asked.

"I'm not scared! I'm c-cold." Her teeth were chattering. "You're so c-c-cold." More flowers gathered around her to create a blanket.

"Oh, sorry about that."

"And anyways, I knew you would need me to find April."

"What do you mean?"

"I always know where she is." A carpet of flowers spread out from around her. Jack moved back. He didn't want to kill her flowers again.

"Actually? How does that work?"

"I don't know. I guess it's because we work together. You know the rhyme, right?"

"Uhh...april showers bring may flowers?"

"Yeah. If I didn't know where she rained, I wouldn't be able to grow my flowers."

"Interesting."

"She's practically my sister."

Jack drew patterns in the ground with his fingers. "I used to have a sister," he said quietly.

"Really? Did she look like you?" Mae seemed to brighten at the thought. "I bet she was beautiful!"

Jack looked up at her face to see that she was blushing. _What?_

"Yeah, she was." Jack could see his sister's face in his mind.

"What happened to her?" Mae asked, her face returning to its usual colour.

"She grew up, fell in love, lived a good life." Jack looked at his staff. "She would never have the chance if it wasn't for me."

"Is that how you died?"

"Yeah. Pulled her away from the thin ice. I fell through."

"So you drowned?"

"I guess. Or died of the cold." Why was she asking all these questions?

"I drowned," Mae whispered.

Jack looked up at her. "What happened?"

"April and I died together. It's a long story…" Mae shrugged.

Jack stared at the girl in front of him. He had never really thought about how she had become the flower spirit that she was.

"The funny thing is that I didn't do anything to become what I am. Why did the Moon choose me? What am I supposed to do?"

"I asked the same questions."

"I understand my job. But my role in everything? I can't fight. I can't do the same things that the rest of you can." Mae looked like she was going to cry and Jack did not know what to do. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her. Mae seemed to like hugs so he thought it was worth a try.

When he drew back, she had a small smile on her face. "Thanks Jack."

"Don't worry about anything. It'll make sense eventually, I promise." He got up and brushed the dirt from his pants.

"So can you tell me where April is?"

Mae stood up, the flowers falling away from her. She sighed, smiling. "Much better." She looked at Jack and then out across the landscape. They were in the middle of a barren plain. "She's about twenty miles that way." Mae pointed south-east.

Jack held his hand out to her, his other gripping his staff, but Mae only shook her head.

"No offense, but I'm going to run."

"This will be faster though." Jack twirled his staff.

Was that a smirk on her face? "Jack Frost, I don't think you really realize how fast I can run." With that, she turned and zoomed out over the plain, leaving behind a trail of fresh flowers. Jack grinned and leapt into the air. It took him a lot longer than he expected to catch up with Mae; he had to call up the strongest winds to push him forward until he was flying beside her.

"Told you I was fast!" she shouted over the wind. She wasn't even panting. Jack looked at her feet. With each step, her toes glowed a bright green colour and flowers burst from the ground.

"Why are your feet green?" he shouted.

"Ever heard of having a green thumb?" she answered, giggling, "Well, I have green toes too!"

Jack laughed, and flinched when they suddenly hit a wall of rain. They slowed, looking around.

"Well, isn't this sweet?"

April floated to the ground, closing her umbrella with a snap. "Already have another man falling for you, Mae?"

"April..." Mae said softly, a high colour rising to her cheeks.

April waved off her protests, a smile cracking her otherwise downturned lips. "I'm only joking," she said.

Mae frowned and Jack could tell that April's words had shaken her. "Where did you go off to?" he asked her. He noticed Mae was quiet beside him, fiddling with a small flower in her hair.

"Atlanta needed some rain," April answered.

"Well," Jack said, stepping forward. The puddles under his feet crackled into ice. "We're not in Atlanta, so why is it raining here?" He raised an eyebrow, a smirk curling up the corners of his lips.

"I can take a hint, thank you," April said. She pointed her umbrella at the sky and twitched it. The rain ceased and sunlight speared through the clouds. Mae gasped in delight, turning her face up towards the sun. April smiled softly, stepping back under the shade of a single remaining cloud.

"Good," Jack said, glancing between the two. They were a conundrum. Mae was as bright and cheerful as the sun, and April was as dark and gloomy as a raincloud. Yet, Jack could see April truly cared for Mae, even if she had strange ways of showing it.

"Anyway, the others are probably lost, no thanks to your storm," he said, looking at April.

"Jack..." Mae said carefully. He was taunting her now.

April bit her lip; thunder rumbled threateningly in the distance. "Just don't, Jack. If you know what's good for you, don't."

"Fine, sorry," Jack consented. "And I'm sorry about before. I shouldn't have called you gloomy."

"Oh!" Mae exclaimed, spinning around in the sunlight and then facing them. "I forgot! Before I jumped out of the sleigh, Santa told me we should meet at the city. We should go there now!" She took off running before the other two could react. Jack jumped into the air and let the wind sweep him away; April popped open her umbrella and followed on the same gust.

"Is she always like this?" Jack asked. April nodded, smiling to herself again. It seemed to Jack one of the rare times she would smile, was when she talked about Mae.

"You're not all that bad," Jack added, looking sideways at April. They were still within earshot of Mae as she giggled, running along the ground beneath them, blooms sprouting from her feet. "At least, with Mae you're not all bad."

April shot him a glance. "The world's a cruel place, Jack. Someone has to protect her from it. I couldn't do it before, so I have to do it now."

"She told me you died together," Jack said, lowering his voice, but still loud enough to be heard over the rushing wind around them. "You drowned?"

"She died because of me," April snapped. "I was given a second chance to protect her, and I'm not going to fail her this time. I owe her as much."

Jack was quiet for a moment and chose his words carefully, lest she blow up at him. "If you hadn't died then, you wouldn't be here now. You both would have died hundreds of years ago, anyway. So isn't it a good thing you're here now?"

"You say that like death is a good thing," April murmured, watching the colourful life spark beneath them.

"Hey," Jack said, shrugging and giving her a lopsided smirk. "I am king of Winter, death of Summer. Death isn't all that bad."

April snorted, letting the wind catch her umbrella and snatch her away from him. Jack rolled his eyes - she wasn't all that bad but, unlike her rainclouds, she wasn't good at opening up. He followed them on the wind for a few more minutes until they were carried into a sleepy city whose street lights shone like the stars above.

Jack landed on the ground and looked around. "Where are we?"

"Dalton," Mae said brightly. She inspected the street sign and smiled. "Crow Valley Road."

"You know it?" Jack looked down the street. No sign of North and his sleigh.

"Nope. I'm lost." She turned to April, a mischievous look on her face. "Remember Crow Valley?"

April grinned and nodded slightly. Jack watched in awe as a blush spread across her face. Mae giggled, a faraway look on her face.

Jack would ask about Crow Valley later, but "Pitch has definitely been here" was all he said. The black nightmare sand spun around them, galloping like horses on fire, seeping into the windows the surrounding houses.

"I don't like it," Mae whispered, hugging herself. "The poor children."

April nodded, following a nightmare to one of the houses, opening her umbrella to fly onto the windowsill. Jack watched her turn to the sky and pointed her umbrella at the imposing black could. The fire nightmares were slithering out from it.

Thunder rumbled and it began to rain over the cloud. For a moment, Jack thought it was work. The fire almost seemed to sizzle, but then a wave rose up from the cloud and crashed over April. Mae screamed, jumping forward, but Jack held her back. "No," he warned.

A tense moment later, the sand slipped away, revealing April cocooned in an orb of water, eyes flashing like the lightning that crackled across the sky overhead.

"April!" Mae shouted. A vine sprung up out of the ground and she climbed up it onto the windowsill. Jack leapt up lightly beside them. Mae peered into the window. Inside, a child tossed in his bed, a flaming nightmare above his head. The effect of this on Mae was immediate.

"I can _feel_ them!" she sobbed. "Make them stop!" Before Jack could do anything, she pried the window open and slipped into the room.

"Stop, stop, stop!" she screamed at the nightmare. She tried to shake the little boy awake but her hands went right through him. Jack was at her side immediately but he had the same results. Not every child believed in Jack Frost yet. How could they help this child? Mae's reaction to the nightmare's effect on the child scared Jack. After realizing she could do nothing to help the boy, she crumpled into a ball, sobbing.

Jack ran to the window where April still watched the immense cloud above. "April! Mae needs you!" The girl waved her umbrella at the nightmares once again; a huge lightning bolt snapped earthward and hit several of the dark nightmares. They exploded into a cloud of black dust that dissipated on the wind. Satisfied for now, April turned to see Mae on the floor, arms wrapped around her legs. Concern spread across her face.

"Mae." She shook the smaller girl. "Mae, what's wrong?"

"I can feel his screams. I can feel them all! We have to make them stop!"

April shot a glance at Jack. "Get the short dude."

Jack guessed she meant Sandy and sped out of the room.

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_Ellis: A huge thanks to kaci12 and PeachtreeAmuto for the wonderful reviews!_

_Carter: You guys are lovely. Thanks for reading! Stay tuned!_


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